Wisdom prevailed on YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy at the last minute over the party’s support in the elections to Rajya Sabha deputy chairman post being held on Thursday.
In the morning, the YSRC announced that it is not going to vote for the Congress party candidate B K Prasad, who is contesting the RS deputy chairman elections on behalf of the Opposition, against the National Democratic Alliance candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh of the Janata Dal (United).
This has come as a shock to the Congress party, as the YSRC had earlier announced that it would support the Opposition candidate and would vote against NDA candidate.
A couple of days ago, YSRC parliamentary party leader said the YSRC would vote against the NDA candidate, since the NDA government had betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh by denying special category status and not implementing the promises made in AP bifurcation act.
On Wednesday, Sai Reddy declared that the YSRC would vote for the Opposition candidate. But it evoked criticism from various quarters including from within the YSRC.
“How can Jagan’s party support the Congress candidate, which is also being supported by the Telugu Desam Party? What message does it send to the party cadre? If the YSRC wants to oppose the NDA, it should refrain from polling, instead of voting for the Congress candidate,” a party leader observed.
Apparently realising that the decision is going to backfire on the party, Jagan quickly changed his stand and instructed the party MPs accordingly.
“We thought of supporting the Opposition candidate, provided he or she is not from the Congress. But now that the Congress candidate is in fray for the deputy chairman post, we have decided against voting him, too, as the Congress is equally responsible for the present state of affairs in the state,” he said.
Sai Reddy declared that his party would maintain equidistance from both the NDA and the UPA.
“We shall abstain from voting and maintain a neutral stand,” he said.
